E3 2006: Sony Reveals Final PS3 Controller

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Say bye to the Batarang, and hello to six degrees of freedom!

By Andrew Alfonso

Just moments ago at Sony Computer Entertainment's E3 2006 press conference, Ken Kutaragi came on stage near the end of the conference to deliver a final piece of the PS3 puzzle: the controller. Last E3, the company revealed a completely different peripheral from the familiar Dual Shock 2, which was somewhat reminiscent of a Batarang.

The good news for critics, however, is that it seems Sony listened to criticisms from fans and clients as it has reverted back to its more traditional controller design for the final version. It was also confirmed that although the new controller is wireless, it can also be charged if connected via USB cord directly to the PlayStation 3.

Of course, the biggest surprise of the night was when Phil Harrison joined Ken Kutaragi on stage to show off a secret feature of the new controller: six degrees of freedom. Using technology similar to what we've seen in past "tilt-enabled" games, the controller can be maneuvered freely as a secondary function for onscreen manipulations.

Harrison and Kutaragi show off the new peripheral.

The new feature was shown off by Dylan Jobe, producer/ director of the upcoming PS3 launch title Warhawk. In the short two-minute demo, Jobe flew his craft by handling the controller in a similar fashion to that of an aircraft stick. Before that, Harrison also showed two additional demos that featured a helicopter and the infamous rubber ducky.

While the new controller will gain motion detection, it will be losing its shock. Sony confirmed that the rumble feature will be completely disabled since the vibration apparently interferes with information detected by the motion sensor.

Sony has also made a few adjustments to the controller as well. The L2/ R2 shoulder buttons, for example, have been enlarged -- allowing for increased stroke depth. The analog sticks allow for greater tilting angle too, and it's a change that will supposedly give players additional control. Finally, both analog sticks and the L2/ R2 shoulder buttons also benefit from an increase in precision of 8 bits to 10.

Expect more on the PlayStation 3 controller, including hands-on impressions in the coming minutes.